Bogut, supposedly the answer to the Warriors' prayers, has been a big part of the reason for their downfall.

Coach Mark Jackson said before the game he would show infinite patience with Bogut as he fights back into playing shape, but many did not share his optimism.

There was a whiff of dismay in the air, mixed with desperation.

There's your dramatic setup for the biggest game of the year for the Warriors. That's what Jackson called it before it started. That was partially because the Phoenix Feelgoods are the worst team in the West, and a loss to them would have made the Warriors seven-game losing streak look like 70.

The Warriors won 108-98 and Bogut gave fans the first glimpse of what might be. He played a season-high 27 minutes and had a nice line: seven points, 11 rebounds (four offensive), five assists, two steals, three blocks. He impressed everyone but himself.

"It was OK," Bogut said with a shrug. "Still trying to create a little offense, it's not quite there yet ... It wasn't a bad game, it wasn't a great game."

I'll be the judge of that. All things considered, it was a great game.

Bogut had flu-like symptoms during the day, and was coming off a Tuesday game in Utah where he looked hopelessly clunky and a $100 cab ride away from ready-to-contribute.

His game Wednesday didn't entirely clear the fog of despair caused by his slow recovery and the downswing of the team since he came back, but Bogut poked some rays of light through the gloom.

It was like a scene in "Frankenstein." Look, the monster, he comes to life!

But instead of moving like Frankenstein's monster, Bogut, or his stunt double, moved almost like an excellent basketball player, at times.

"He played great," Stephen Curry said. "Obviously, he's still trying to find his rhythm offensively in the post, but that's probably the only area he wasn't able to attack. On the defensive end, he's blocking shots and rebounding, and on offense, he's distributing the ball beautifully. He finds guys cutting to the basket, and the chemistry between him and David (Lee) showed, as well. He's a good outlet to have."

In a four-minute span in the second quarter, Bogut threw a crunching elbow pick, made a slick interior pass to Harrison Barnes, rolled to the hoop for a pass (he got fouled), fly-swatted a layup attempt by Marcin Gortat, made a clever inside dish to Lee on a give-and-go, fly-swatted a layup attempt by Jared Dudley, made two more slick passes to Lee, and got beat on a baseline spin by Luis Scola.

"It's great to see him out there active and making plays for us," Jackson said.

What he refrained from saying: "Seeeeee? What did I tell you?"

Before the game Jackson said, "You can't expect him to be there right now. We know that, he knows it, and that's fine. We're building something right now. There's no way in the world, I don't care who you are, that you can be in game shape right now, when he hasn't played a lot, when he hasn't practiced a lot. We're going to be patient. And he's going to make us a better basketball team; there's no secret about that. If this is what we have to go through to get to where we're getting, we're fine with that."

Great, but Jackson is Mary Poppins in a $1,000 suit. You can say he puts out a great positive vibe, or you can say he's a tap-dancing spinmeister.

What you have to do is trust your eyes.

Mine saw that Bogut, instead of making the Warriors worse, made 'em better. He was clever and tough.

He impressed his teammates by playing hard while sick, hurt and tired.

"People look at stats," Jarrett Jack said, "but you have to look at the things he covers with the mental side of his game - the passing, the playmaking. We came out of the same college draft, and I saw a guy whose talent was head and shoulders above most big men."

Early in the second half, helping on interior defense, Bogut hammered the hulking Gortat to the floor, not something you're used to seeing from a Warriors center.

When Bogut was cleared to play after missing 38 games with a slowly-mending ankle, the buzz question became, "Is this guy permanently damaged goods?"

That buzz is quieter. Jackson might be right, that it's a matter of scraping off the rust, but the playoff clock is ticking.

"Just confidence," Bogut said when I asked him where he most needs to see improvement. "It's funny, you (lose) rhythm and a feel for the game. And conditioning obviously is still a bit of an issue."